IndexIntroduction i

Values to Inspire us at an Individual Level

1 Gardener's Advice 32 Toiling at School 53 Mango Vendor 7 4 Vegetarianism 95 'No' to Borrowing Money 116 Keeping Promises 137 Living within Means 158 Courage v/s Tradition 179 Putting others before Self 1910 Organizational Skills 2211 Sartorial Simplicity 2312 Self-Help Training 2513 Pocket Money 2714 Time Management 3015 Punctuality 3216 Patience Pays 3417 Non-Attention Seeking Personality 3618 Simple Living, High Thinking 3819 After Nehru, Who? 4020 Family Man 4221 Message in a Car 4422 Devious Driving Licence 4623 Indian Values 4924 My Grandmother 51

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Values to Enhance our Interpersonal Relationships

26 Strong Work Ethic 5727 Crisis Management 5928 Purushotham Das Tandon and Pandit Nehru 6129 Man Management 6230 The Great Motivator 6331 Chamber of Commerce 6532 Tea Party 6933 Trusting those Below the Radar 7034 Raising Delicate Issues Unabashedly 72

35 Coalition Politics 7536 Two Deputy Leaders 7737 Touching Elders’ Feet 8038 Mediation in Uttar Pradesh (UP) 8239 Keep Enemies Closer 8540 Empathy Towards Subordinates 8741 Chairing a Cabinet Meeting 8942 Aap Saath Chalna Pasand Karenge? 9143 Pratap Singh Kairon 9444 Morarji Opts Out of Shastri’s Cabinet 9645 T.T. Krishnamachari 9846 Relations with Indira Gandhi 9947 The Witty Shastri 10248 Affable Personality 10449 Saying ‘No’ Elegantly 10650 Never Pulling Ranks 10851 Interacting with Girls 110

Values Vital for a Healthy Society

52 Caste Connotations 11553 Family v/s Country 11754 Dreams of Serving the Nation 11955 Regard for Sincere and Committed Employees 12156 Against Untouchability 12357 Handling Unresponsive Officials 12558 Accessible to All People 12659 General Elections 12860 Praying to God in 30 Seconds 12961 Akali Agitation - Fast unto Death 13062 Kashmir Issue 13363 Prisoner of Indecision 13664 War against Pakistan 13865 Standing Tall 14166 A Credible Leader 14367 Jai Jawan Jai Kisan 14668 War Heroes 14769 True Hospitality 14970 Shastriji’s visit to Amul, Anand 15171 Super Communist 15372 A Touching Tribute 155

Introduction This book is about a man who came from the humblest

section of society and rose to the highest position of the land.

He was the epitome of wisdom and practicality. The values he

lived by have transcended time and generations and have

proved to be invaluable not only today but will continue to be

so in the future. As you go through this book, you will find

several recollections and anecdotes from Shastri's childhood,

his public office and adult life. Unfortunately, he was

snatched away by the cruel jaws of death early. However, the

principles he lived by endure.

I have hand-picked personal recollections of his second

son Anil Shastri who had the good fortune of being raised by

such a stalwart. During my interactions with Anil, I saw in him

the same integrity, honesty and loyalty his father was known

for. I saw that despite his time in politics and presiding over an

educational empire his value system was uncontaminated.

And that beneath his dignified exterior he is a simple,

unpretentious and affable man. And there was always this

glint of pride in his eyes while reminiscing times spent with his

father. Only a great father would inspire such pride. I could see

the same emotion resonating from other people who had

interacted with Lal Bahadur in his lifetime. Little wonder then

that Lal Bahadur Shastri was the first person to be awarded

Bharat Ratna posthumously, the highest civilian honour in

the country, in 1966. He was a true jewel of the country.

i

What struck me the most about Lal Bahadur Shastri was

that despite coming from a very humble background, he rose

to high ranks through his hard work and wisdom. Poverty did

not vanquish him, rather it propelled him to reach the highest

position the country offered. Besides, he did not lose his

empathy for others. He felt the pain of others when he put

himself in their place. This was evident in the way he dealt

with people from all walks of life. His profound empathy,

however, did not take away from acting fair and just. Nothing

confounded him and he was known to take quick and decisive

decisions whether it pertained to war with Pakistan or action

in Kashmir.

Shastri was also noted for his good habits of punctuality,

practicality and hospitality. No one would ever go back hurt or

disappointed after meeting him. He made everyone feel

welcome and positive, even though, at times, the way forward

may not have been entirely favourable for them. He also did

not believe in hierarchy which in-subordinated people. He

was inclusive and discussed issues with everyone, drawing

nuggets from all levels.

Being a man of few needs, Lal Bahadur believed in living

within means and cutting the coat according to the cloth.

Whenever he had some spare resources, he would plough

these back into the community to help the needy. He did not

believe in ostentation but proudly flaunted his Indianness. I

believe that today's generation can learn a lot from this iconic

personality.

ii

Drawing from such a wellspring of rich values, this book is

presented in three sections – Values to inspire us at an

individual level, interpersonal level and societal level. Each

of these recollections has a thought-provoking and inspiring

lesson which if applied, can help us develop into well-rounded

personalities.

iii

Devious Driving Licence

(Circa 1964)

When my father became India's Prime Minister in 1964, I

was 15 years old and was not eligible for a driving license. The

minimum age for obtaining a driving license was 18 years and I

was thus short by 3 years.

I had learnt driving on the quiet at the age of 14 itself. The

afternoons were perfect for me to take the car out for driving

practice on Akbar Road which hardly had any traffic at that

time. The family members would be resting then and my father

would be away to office. My elder brother, who was 10 years

older than me, was working in a private company in Madras

(now Chennai). On my insistence, one of the drivers agreed to

teach me the basics of car driving. As I was fairly young, it took

very little time for me to perfect the art of driving a car.

When I was confident of driving the car alone, I wanted to

then possess a driving license and so requested my father's

Additional Private Secretary Shri Kailash Narayan to help me

in getting one. He took immediate action and the license was

delivered to me at the Prime Minister's house the same day. I

proudly told this to Shastriji when he returned in the evening

hoping that he would be pleased to see my license. He was not

angry but seemed a little hurt and upset. The next morning, he

sent for Kailash Narayan and told him that it was very wrong on

his part to have done an illegal act as a personal staff member of

the Prime Minister.

He also sent a message to the Home

Ministry to take the RTO officials to

task. Shastriji said that the law of

the land was openly flouted in the

Prime Minister's house itself and

that was perhaps the reason he was

so hurt when I showed him the

driving license the previous evening.

He told the officials that the license

was issued in the name of the person who was not eligible in

terms of age and secondly it was issued and delivered without

any driving test. Shri Kailash Narayan and the RTO officials

were ashamed of their mis-judgment and profusely apologised

to the Prime Minister for their serious act of omission.

Wisdom Window

Shastri believed that the laws of the land were to be

honoured and followed by everyone, more so by people in

power. Nobody was above the law and the law did not

make exceptions for anyone, whosoever they might be.

He also wanted to send a strong message that bending

rules to appease higher ups and their wards was not

acceptable. This is why he took corrective action

immediately when he saw the law being flexed in this

instance. He believed that those who took law in their own

hands were just as culpable as those who abetted those

people.

47 Lal Bahadur Shastri - Lessons in Leadership

Punctuality(Circa 1962)

Shastriji was a punctual person and taught us also to be on

time too. Once he was going out of station on a special plane

and checked with me the previous evening if I would be

interested in coming along. I happily agreed since the

following day was a school holiday. He said he would leave the

house at 8 o'clock in the morning as the take-off was

scheduled at 8.30. Since I could not get ready on time, I tried

getting to the airport in another car. By the time I reached, it

was 8.35 am. The doors of the plane were closed and the

engines were running. Although I was just 5 minutes late,

Shastriji did not wait for me

and took off and I was left

behind. I felt very

embarrassed and

wept profusely at

the airport itself.

In the evening

when Shastriji

came back, my

mother

Lalita Shastri was annoyed with him and said that he could

have waited for just 5 minutes instead of leaving me behind.

All he said was, “If I didn't do that, how would Anil ever learn

to be punctual.”

This was a big lesson for me and to date, I do my best to be

punctual at all times.

Pavan’s Interpretation

This anecdote is very vital for understanding the

importance of punctuality in management. Through one

master stroke, Lal Bahadur Shastri not only taught his

son the importance of punctuality but also demonstrated

to everybody around him – his colleagues, driver, airport

staff, etc and left them with a useful lesson to pass on to

their colleagues, friends and family.

33 Leadership Lessons from Lal Bahadur Shastri

Chairing a Meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party

(CPP)(Circa 1963)

Morarji Desai was a senior colleague of Lal Bahadur

Shastri. When Shastriji was the Home Minister, Morarji was

the Finance Minister in Nehru's Cabinet. Nehruji had taken

ill and an urgent meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party

had to be held. Since there was no Deputy Leader of the

Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) , the question arose about

who would chair the meeting in the absence of Nehru. The

practice of having a Deputy Leader of CPP was abandoned

and a Deputy Leader each was nominated in Lok Sabha and

Rajya Sabha for the purpose of House matters only.

Morarji Desai unexpectedly drove down to our house to

meet my father. Shastriji was taken aback and enquired from

him if there was something urgent. Morarji told him that he

was keen to be seen as number two after Nehru and also told

him that Jagjivan Ram also wanted the same. Jagjivan Ramji's

claim was due to the fact that he was a Member of Nehru's first

Cabinet after independence.

Shastriji said to Morarji how was it that he came to take his

advice when he considered him as his political adversary.

(Morarji would always tell people that the only person who

would come in the way of his becoming Prime Minister after

Nehru was Lal Bahadur Shastri). Morarji Desai said to Shastri

Wisdom Window

Three very important indicators of establishing power

protocol are Meeting, Greeting and Seating. Shastri

understood this.

Meeting: Who has called the meeting, when is it happening

and at whose convenience.

Greeting: Who addresses whom as what - Mr./Sir/First name.

Seating: Who takes the head chair.

Knowing the importance of seating Lal Bahadur told Morarji

to be there at the venue half an hour before the meeting and

occupy the head chair.

that he had come to

him for advice as he

believed that his

intellectual honesty

was unquestionable.

He was sure that Lal

Bahadur would give him the correct advice.

Shastriji did advise Morarji and asked him to reach the

Parliament for the meeting half an hour before it would start.

The meeting was being held in the Parliament House at 10 am

and Shastriji suggested to Morarji to be there at 9.30 am. Thus,

Morarji Desai reached Parliament at 9.30 am and occupied

Nehru's chair. Jagjivan Ramji reached later but since Morarji

Desai was already occupying Nehru's chair, he was allowed to

chair the meeting.

Saying 'No' Elegantly (Circa 1964)

Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, former President of India,

once told me an anecdote about Shastriji. Shankar Dayal

Sharma was a senior leader of the Congress Party in Madhya

Pradesh and was pretty close to Shastriji. He was looking for

an opportunity to come to central politics. Lal Bahadur

Shastri became the Prime Minister in 1964. Dr. Sharma

mustered some courage

and conveyed to him

his desire of

c o m i n g t o

central politics

in Delhi. Shastriji needed

him to continue in

Madhya Pradesh for

political reasons. He

therefore paused for a

while and said, “Although

you will be an asset to me in

Delhi, who will be my man in Madhya Pradesh? I need

someone like you to look after my work in the State for some

more time.” Shankar Dayal Sharma had nothing to say after

that and was happy continuing in Madhya Pradesh politics as

Shastriji's confidante.

Pavan’s Interpretation

Lal Bahadur refused Shankar Dayal in such a tactful and

motivational manner that Shankar Dayal proudly repeated

this conversation to whoever he met. Shastri gave him

pride in refusal and made him see value in a way he wasn't

seeing. The 'NO' transformed into a 'Badge of Honour'.

Effective leaders apply this art of tactfully saying 'No'

without hurting the subordinate's pride and morale.

107 Leadership Lessons from Lal Bahadur Shastri

Super Communist(Circa 1966)

After the 22 day war with Pakistan in September 1965, my

father was upset as to why two neighbours fought with each

other in a manner we did. He believed that every problem

had a solution. A long term peace settlement with Pakistan

was playing on his mind. Suddenly, there was a proposal from

the Prime Minister of the Soviet Union, Mr. Alexei Kosygin,

to host a meeting between the Indian Prime Minister, Shri Lal

Bahadur Shastri, and the Pakistan President, General Ayub

Khan. Initially, there were some reservations on the part of

Shastriji but keeping in view the interests of both countries, he

agreed to accept the invitation of Kosygin. Shastriji and Ayub

Khan decided to meet in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan

(then Soviet Union), in the first week of January 1966.

Lal Bahadur Shastri left for Tashkent on January 3, 1966

hoping for a long term peace solution with Pakistan.

Tashkent was very cold at that time of the year and Shastriji

was carrying his usual khadi woollen coat. Prime Minister

Kosygin realized that the coat that the Indian Prime Minister

wore was not warm enough to ward off the snowy winter

winds of Central Asia. Kosygin wanted to present a Russian

overcoat to Shastriji but was not sure how to do so. Finally at a

function, he presented a Russian coat as a gift to the Prime

Minister hoping that he would wear it while in Tashkent.

Next morning, Kosygin noticed that Shastriji was still wearing

the khadi coat which he had brought from Delhi.

Hesitatingly, he asked the Prime Minister whether he liked the

overcoat which he gave to him. Shastriji replied in the

affirmative and said, “It is really warm and very comfortable

for me. However, I have lent it to one of my staff members who

was not carrying a good woollen coat to wear in this severe

winter. I will surely use your gift during my future trips to cold

countries.”

Prime Minister Kosygin narrated this incident during his

welcome address at a cultural programme organized in

honour of the Indian Prime Minister and the Pakistan

President. Kosygin remarked, “We are communists but Prime

Minister Shastri is a Super Communist.”

Wisdom Window

Anil further recalls that during this visit Shastri had also

been gifted a 20 carat gold watch which on his return he

offered to Anil. Anil happily accepted it but wondered why

his father wouldn't wear it. Shastri replied, “The leader of

a poor nation cannot have flashy lifestyle.”

Usually people look at people richer than them to compare

what they do not possess. Shastri on the other hand always

looked below him to see what others did not have and tried

to fulfill their needs.

Lal Bahadur Shastri - Lessons in Leadership 154